2018-19 United States winter storm season (SDT)
The 2018-19 United States winter storm the season was particularly significant as the there was a strong El Nino, resulting in very strong storms striking the west, New England, and northern plains. In all, there were 23 storms that formed from September to May, a slightly above average season. The scale used for the season was the SDTWFC Winter Storm Scale. Storms Weak Winter Storm Angelina Winter Storm Angelina formed from a low pressure system.. On September 23, Angelina moved from Alberta into Montana where it dropped a meek 6 inches of snow over the peaks of Glacier National Park. On September 24, the storm dropped freezing rain over the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and produced blustery winds of around 30mph. A few hours later, the storm weakened when in interacted with strong wind shear over eastern Montana. Angelina caused no damage or deaths. Notable Winter Storm Bart On October 9, a low pressure system cooled significantly and began to drop snow over eastern Montana. However, snowfall here was generally light, between 4 and 6 inches. The next day, Bart moved over North Dakota and began dropping heavier snowfall. Areas around Minot reported up to a foot of snow. The storm began to weaken as it moved closer to a high pressure system bringing above normal temperatures to southern Ontario and the Michigan Upper Peninsula. 4 inches of snow was recorded in Grand Rapids, Minnesota hours before the storm was ripped apart by the strong high pressure system. Bart caused no damage or deaths. Weak Winter Storm Cynthia On October 29, a storm from the Pacific moved over Southern Idaho and began producing snowfall as it became a cold core low. The Sawtooth National Forest reported snow totals of 6-8 inches, while Twin Falls reported 2 inches of snow. On the warm southern end of the storm, a rare EF1 tornado downed a few trees near Logan, Utah. The storm stopped producing snow the next day. Cynthia caused no damage or deaths. Powerful Winter Storm Duncan Winter Storm Duncan formed over the mountains of Central Mexico before moving over southern Texas, where it began to produce light snowfall. San Antonio received 4 inches of snow, Corpus Christi 2, Houston 5, and Beaumont 3. In Louisiana, snowfall was slightly heavier, with 5 inches reported in Lake Charles, 4 in Lafayette, 6 in Baton Rouge, and 1 in New Orleans. An EF2 tornado in Shreveport, Louisiana that killed 1 person was directly related to Duncan, thus making Duncan the first deadly storm of the season. As Duncan moved into Mississippi, record levels of snow began to pile up. In Natchez, 6 inches fell, and 5 in Vicksburg. Jackson picked up a staggering 13 inches of the white powder, more than 5 years worth of snow in one day. Hattiesburg, Meridian, and Laurel all picked up 8-12 inches of snow, and even Biloxi got 2 inches of snow. In Alabama, Mobile got 3 inches of snowfall, while Montgomery, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa picked up 10 inches of snow. Duncan continued to defy basic climate for that area as it moved into Georgia. As temperatures plunged to just 10 degrees, Lake Lanier froze over with a 1 foot thick plate of ice. Winds whipped up to 60mph, creating an unheard of blizzard for the area. Atlanta saw a total of 20 inches of snow, Gainesville with 19 inches, Sugar Hill with 21 inches, and Cornelia saw a staggering 23 inches of snow. When snow bands moved out of the area, freezing rain melted the snow then froze it again, creating up to 14 inches of ice ins ome areas, collapsing houses, crushing cars, and knocking out power to more than 6 million people. As the storm moved into the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, it began to weaken, despite becoming a category 3. High peaks saw 25 inches of snow, and lower elevations such as Asheville saw 17-19 inches of snow. Snow band reached into Columbia, South Carolina, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Raleigh, North Carolina. Spartanburg and Greenville, South Carolina picked up 10 inches of snow, Fayetteville, Durham, and Raleigh in North Carolina saw totals between 3 and 6 inches, while Charlotte, the High Point-Winston Salem-Greensboro metro area, and Lexington received 12-18 inches of snow. Duncan also produced blizzard conditions here, and 10 weak tornadoes in South Carolina and Georgia. In Virginia, Danville and Lynchburg saw 17 inches of snow, while Richmond and Charlottesville got 12 inches. The storm weakened as it produced 8 inches of snow in D.C. and 5 in Baltimore. Duncan finally dissipated on November 22 over southern Pennsylvania after causing a state of emergency in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. Duncan killed 148 people in total and caused $4.1 billion in damages. Notable Winter Storm Ella/Hurricane Willa On December 4, the northern-most bands of weakening Hurricane Willa brought torrential rains to Southern California. In the mountains, 10-14 inches of snow was reported due to the storm being warmer than usual. However, the snowfall was still enough to shut down roads. The next day the storm dissipated. Flooding killed 2 people in San Diego county and caused $3 million in damages. Weak Winter Storm Frank A low pressure system that brought freezing rain to Oklahoma briefly became cold enough and started dropping snow. Enid recorded 5 inches of snow in 14 hours. No damage was reported, but 1 died from an auto accident. Extreme Winter Storm Gwen Gwen began dropping snow on December 20 in southwestern Oregon, where 4-6 inches was recorded. The storm began to speedily intensify as it moved across Oregon, and by December 22 Gwen had dumped 25 inches of snow across eastern Oregon. In Northern Idaho, up to 39 inches fell. In the mountains of Naz-Perce Clearwater National Forests, heavy snow knocked out power to park cabins. In Elk City, a tree was knocked onto a house by 60mph winds, killing 2. Snow got heavier in Montana, where Missoula and the towns around the Flathead Reservation picked up 40 inches of snow and power was knocked out. In the mountains across northwestern Montana, up to 48 inches of snow fell. On December 34, Gwen moved out of the United States and thus the SDTWFC stopped monitoring it. Overall, Gwen killed 3 people and caused $5 million in damages. Moderate Winter Storm Hector Hector formed on Christmas and immediately began to drop 4-6 inches of snow over Colorado. Hector explosively intensified and on Christmas night began to drop heavy snow over the Colorado mountains. On the morning of December 26, many places had picked up 18 inches of snow. Denver had 9 inches, Pueblo had 5, and Colorado Springs had 6. Hector than sped over Kansas, dropping 2-4 inches of snow before dissipating on December 27. There were no damage or deaths attributed to Hector. Weak Winter Storm Isidora On December 29, a small cold core low began dropping light snow in the Dakota's. The next day, Isidora dropped 4 inches of snow in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Isidora dissipated on New Year's Eve over Wisconsin. No impacts were reported from Isidora. Crippling Winter Storm Joshua Joshua formed over the Iowa-Missouri-Illinois state line region, and trekked to the Atlantic Ocean. While moving across the Midwest, Joshua dropped 2-4 inches of snow. It then transitioned into a nor'Easter and made landfall in Connecticut on January 5 with 85mph winds, causing blizzard conditions. The storm also brought a 6 foot storm surge, damaging and destroying many coastal buildings. 32 inches of snow fell near Hartford, Connecticut, while New York City picked up 8 inches. Other big cities that recorded snow totals were Boston with 6 inches, Providence with 14, and Albany with 23. Joshua then rapidly weakened over New York and dissipated on January 7. Joshua caused a total of $1.1 billion in damages and 27 deaths. Weak Winter Storm Kelly Winter Storm Kelly brought bouts of rain to Arizona, and snow to higher elevations. Mountains near Flagstaff reported 5 inches of snow. Kelly dissipated the next day. No impacts were caused by Kelly. Apocalyptic Winter Storm Lucas A Pineapple Express storm moved into northern California and quickly began producing heavy snowfall in the Sierra Nevada's. In just 48 hours, Truckee in California recorded 76 inches of snow. Other areas in the region also reported more than 65 inches, and the highest peaks likely saw snowfall levels over 80 inches, but this is unconfirmed. As the storm moved into Nevada, Reno and Carson City saw 14 inches of snow, while the mountains surrounding the cities saw upwards of 58 inches. As Lucas traversed the mountains of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, widespread totals of 30-40 inches were reported. Cities in the region reported lesser amounts of snow; Elko, Nevada with 20 inches, Salt Lake City with 16 inches, and Denver with 15 inches. Lucas then moved across the northern plains, with 25 inches of snow in Alliance, Nebraska, 18 inches in Winner, South Dakota, and 14 inches in Luverne, Minnesota. In the Midwest, Lucas dropped 13 inches in Waterloo, Iowa, 10 inches in Smellser, Wisconsin, 15 inches in Chillicothe, Illinois, 12 in Lebanon, Indiana, and 21 in Athens, Ohio. Lucas began producing heavy snow once again in West Virginia and Virginia, where 25 inches of snow fell around Richwood, West Virginia, 12 in Charleston, West Virginia, 20 in Charlottesville, Virginia, 10 in Richmond, 5 in D.C., and 6 in Virginia Beach. On January 8, Lucas became a nor'Easter, and on January 9 pounded New England with blizzard conditions, storm surge, and wind chill values of -30 (F) in some places. Nantucket, Massachusetts recorded a 1-minute sustained wind speed of 98mph, and a wind gust of 122mph. The next day, Lucas moved over the open Atlantic. In the North East, snow totals were 4 in Atlantic City New Jersey, 6 in New York City, 12 in Boston, 14 on Nantucket, 7 in Augusta, 10 in New Haven, 8 in Hartford, 19 in Providence, and 24 in New Bedford. Overall, Lucas caused $2.5 billion in damages, killed 38 people, and knocked out power to a total of 3 million people over its lifetime. Notable Winter Storm Michelle On January 5, a cold core low began dropping snow over northern Vermont and New Hampshire. Mount Washington reported 16 inches of snow and a 128mph wind gust, and Concord, Vermont saw 8 inches of snow. The next day, the storm dropped light snow over Maine before dissipating. No impacts were reported from Miranda. Crippling Winter Storm Noah On January 13, a storm began to drop light snow over the Southern California mountains. Later that day, Noah began to produce very heavy snow in the mountains. The next day, as Noah moved over the California-Arizona-Nevada area, stations reported between 30-35 inches of snow and lower elevations, such as Alpine and Victorville which rarely see snow accumulations, reported 2-4 inches of snow. In Nevada, mountains around Las Vegas saw 6 inches of snow, while mountains in Arizona saw 7-9 inches. Noah dissipated on January 15. There were 2 deaths caused by Noah, but no monetary losses. Weak Winter Storm Octavia On January 21, Octavia formed and began dropping moderate amounts of snowfall over the mountains of Washington and Idaho. Over the next 2 days, Octavia slowly moved across northern Idaho and Montana, with the highest amounts reaching 9 inches in Glacier National Park. No impacts were reported from Octavia. Powerful Winter Storm Patrick On January 28, Patrick began dropping snow across southern Idaho, becoming heavy later on that day. far eastern mountains of Idaho recorded 22 inches, while southwestern Montana mountains measured snowfall at 18 inches. As Patrick moved across Wyoming, the mountains there recorded widespread totals of 25-28 inches of snowfall. Southern Montana snowfall peaked at 24 inches near Bowler. Patrick then weakened as it sped across South Dakota, with snowfall generally being between 12 and 16 inches across much of the state. Southern Minnesota picked up light snow totals of 4-6 inches. Patrick dissipated over Wisconsin on February 1. Patrick caused $1 million in damages and no deaths. Moderate Winter Storm Rachel On February 7, Winter storm Rachel formed over southeastern Missouri, dropping 2-4 inches of snow over the area. The next day, Rachel began dropping heavier snow over the Kentucky/Tennessee border region. Paducah, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee both saw 10 inches of snow. On that day, Nashville picked up 7 inches of snow, while Crossville picked up 14 inches. Pigeon Forge saw 15 inches of snow overnight. Also overnight, multiple tornadoes ripped though Mississippi and Alabama, including an EF4 that killed 5 people near Gasden, Alabama. On February 10, Rachel accelerated towards the Atlantic Ocean while dropping 4 inches of snow over much of central North Carolina. The storm dissipated later that day. Overall, Rachel caused $380 million in damages and killed 8 people, mainly due to the tornadoes it produced. Weak Winter Storm Steven In the late hours of February 18, Winter Storm Steven formed from a cold core low and began dropping light snow. Steven quickly dissipated 10 hours later. Central South Dakota saw widespread totals of 2-4 inches of snow. No impact resulted from Steven. Extreme Winter Storm Trinity On March 2, Trinity formed over Minnesota and swiftly moved east. By that night, it was over Michigan. Snowfall totals in the mid-west peaked at 5 inches in Minneapolis, 6 in Madison, and 12 in Ann Arbor. Heavy snow was also reported in far southern Ontario. The next day, Trinity began to slow down as it produced over a foot of snow in some parts of Pennsylvania. Harrisburg and Pittsburgh both saw 15 inches, while Philadelphia received 18. Trenton and Atlantic City, New Jersey recorded 20 inches of snow. Over the next 2 days, Trinity transitioned into a nor'Easter. On March 5, Trinity slammed into Rhode Island with 80mph winds, a 4 foot storm surge, and heavy snow. 24 hour snow totals on March 5 in New England were 32 inches in Providence, 30 in Hartford, 25 in Boston, 10 in New York City, 18 in Albany, Concord with 40 inches, Mount Washington with 55, 46 in Montpelier, and 20 in Augusta. Early on March 6, the storm moved into Canada. Trinity caused $1.8 billion in damages and killed 30 people. Moderate Winter Storm Vinnie Vinnie formed on March 10 and began dropping snow over the mountains of northern Nevada. Accumulations there reached 7 inches. Vinnie then moved over northern Utah, where the mountains received a foot of snow, and Salt Lake City saw 5 inches. As Vinnie moved over Wyoming on March 11, the mountains picked up 22 inches of snow in many areas. Vinnie weakened as it moved towards South Dakota. There, snowfall peaked at 5 inches. No impact was reported from Vinnie. Apocalyptic Winter Storm Wanda On March 30, Wanda formed and dropped light snow over California's Sierra Nevada mountains. The nest day, light snowfall continued into Nevada. However, Wanda began to intensify and by the end of the day was dropping up to 20 inches of snow on the Nevada-Utah border. On April 1, Wanda began to drop 25 inches of snow over the mountains of northern Utah, and 8 inches of snow fell in Salt Lake City. On that same day, areas around the Idaho-Wyoming border picked up snow totals upwards of 38 inches. Wanda then stalled over Wyoming for 2 days, producing much needed snow for the state. 48 hour snow totals in the region include 73 inches in the Fremont County mountains, 50 in Boulder, Wyoming, 20 in the Yellowstone National Park, 60 in Riverton 35 in Casper, and 12 in Billings, Montana. Wanda picked up speed, dropping 35 inches of snow over the northeastern portion of Wyoming and 20 over eastern Montana. Extreme northwestern North Dakota saw totals of around 18 inches. On April 5, Wanda moved into Canada. Wand caused $200 million in damages and killed 4 people. Weak Winter Storm Xavier On April 19, a rain system became a cold core low and began producing snow over Iowa. The next day, Xavier dissipated. Snow totals peaked at 5 inches north of Des Moines. No impact resulted from Xavier. Notable Winter Storm Yolanda On May 12, a swiftly moving late season storm formed over Colorado. Overnight, totals reached almost a foot in the central Colorado mountains. The storm dissipated the next day. No impact was reported from Yolanda. Storm Names Retirement The SDTWFC retired the names Duncan, Joshua, Lucas, Rachel, Trinity, and Wanda in the Summer of 2019. They will be replaced with David, Jeremiah, Liam, Rhonda, Taylor, and Wendy for the 2022-2023 season. Category:SDT Category:SDTWFC Category:Hypothetical Winter Storms Category:Deadly winter storms Category:Costly winter storms